Giants safety Ryan Mundy has quietly eased into the role vacated by the injured Stevie Brown and done a solid, and sometimes spectacular, job.

Through two games, he has made a pair of big plays at key times, filling the void left by Brown, who tied for second in the league with eight interceptions last season.

Mundy, who spent his first four seasons with the Steelers, intercepted a Tony Romo pass in the opener and returned it 91 yards. He was tackled on the 1-yard line. The Giants had to settle for a field goal.

Last week, he recovered a fumble in the end zone on the Broncos’ first drive after they had marched the length of the field. He’s second on the team in tackles with 14.

We caught up with him this week:

What is it like trying to contain a big-play wide receiver like Steve Smith?

"You’ve got to compete with him. He’s a very fiery, feisty, competitive type of guy. He’s going to be out on the field going hard every play so we have to match his energy. I’ve played against him before and in watching tape on him, he’s one of those guys that, when it’s time to play, he plays hard. You’ve just got to compete with him and go out there and execute the coverage."

Smith is a guy who likes to talk trash and get into your head. Is it difficult to contain yourself?

"I think, just by our execution and competing, I think we’ll be just fine. We don’t need to get into a shouting match with him, going back and forth with any of the antics on field. We just need to focus and play hard."

It appears as though Cam Newton is throwing a lot of high percentage passes underneath. Do you think it’s by design?

"I think it was the first two games of the regular season, so I think they’re still implementing their offense. We know he has a great arm, can make a lot of throws necessary, can throw the ball down the field and they have the receivers and tight end to go vertical. We’re paying attention to that and we know that they are talented at those positions and have the ability to go deep."

Given Cam Newton’s mobility, do you have to do anything different as a safety to make sure he’s contained?

"We definitely have to respect it because he is a special athlete and he can bring the ball down and get five yards or he can get 70 yards. That’s something we’ve been preparing for and I think, as he grows and matures, he’s trying to throw the ball a little bit more, take some of those hits off his body. When it all boils down, he can definitely still pull that ball down and run."